Tilting trains to start run during Lunar New Year

The nation's first batch of tilting trains purchased by the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) is expected to arrive from Japan next month.

Tilting trains are designed to counteract the centrifugal force when they pass through curves at high speed.

Vice Minister of Transportation and Communications Ho Nuan-hsuen (何煖軒) flew to Japan last week to inspect the first tilting train that was to be shipped to Taiwan.

According to the administration, the trains will begin operating during the Lunar New Year, which starts in February. They will mainly be used on the line running from Shulin (樹林) in Taipei County to Hualien County.

With the introduction of the trains, travel time between those two locations can be reduced from three hours to two hours.

Before the trains start operating, the TRA will conduct multiple test runs near its station in Shulin.

Taroko

The TRA has decided to name the tilting trains "Taroko" after the national park, based on its poll of public opinion.

The train resembles the 700-T bullet train model used by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. The body is painted in white, with an orange line running across the middle of the cars.

Sources within the TRA said that all the components of the tilting trains were assembled in Japan, and the administration would not have to make any modification to fit the local railway system. Drivers require no further training in operating the trains, it said.